Once You Miss The Train (It's Not Coming Back)
by Scribblery
Summary: A collection of unconnected grayza drabbles. Features canon-compliant material and (therefore) angst.
1. Chapter 1

**hi grayza fandom!**

 **i don't usually contribute much but when i do, it's angst. i'm sorry orz. these have been posted before on my tumblr before so it may not be new to some of you but i decided to cross-post them here so that i can find them more easily.**

 **disclaimer: there will be angst, angst, and more angst. read at your own risk. also, there may be hints of other canon pairings (you know what they are) so do take note!**

* * *

"Gray…" she murmurs, turning to face him. Her eyes are glistening with unshed tears, though he can tell that she's still trying to put up a brave front.

He, however, keeps his gaze fixed on the blue-haired man's retreating back.

"It… never gets any easier…" she begins quietly, her voice cracking slightly despite her attempts to maintain her composure, "whenever he leaves…"

Her words trail off, but he's determined to let her finish.

"For how long more… do I have to wait… for him…?"

Unconsciously clenching his left hand, he gently but firmly grabs her by the shoulder with his right, bringing her to rest her head against him in a poor imitation of one of her trademark hugs. Caught off-guard by the unexpected move, she tenses up for a few moments, before finally relaxing in his arms when she realises that he isn't going to release her from his grasp anytime soon.

"You're Erza. You shouldn't have to wait for anybody."

His words are met with silence.

And yet, he doesn't need a reply, for her smile against his chest tells him everything he needs to know.

* * *

P.S. i'd like to explain my reasons for writing angsty grayza minifics.

 **the length** \- long fics take up too much time i don't have + i feel that sometimes shorter fics are more powerful in conveying emotions and feelings, especially when it comes to angst. plus, this allows me time to make sure every single sentence in the fics serves a purpose.

 **the writing style** \- i personally like this writing style a lot i.e. more show than tell + more snapshots of scenes than full length situations and i just want to give people feels tbh orz.

 **the angst** \- ahhaha. i've actually written humour/non-angst before, and yet, grayza's my go-to pairing for angst and poetic writing. to be frank, my personal stand on fic writing is that i'll always try to explore the depths of the different relationships as opposed to exploring new possibilities for the characters. gray + erza have so much depth in their relationship that's unique to them, and i feel that that alone is worth writing about.

 **the gruvia + jerza** \- this is because i don't like ignoring canon tbh so i try my best to grayza-fy the canon material in a way that can be read into canon orz. ultimately though, i like to believe that grayza has a bond that's distinct from their canon pairings, and that these facets of their relationship are equally, if not more significant than their romantic pairings.


	2. Chapter 2

**post-Christmas special.**

* * *

He rushes out of the door, paying no heed to his state of undress.

He shouldn't have dared her to go out in the nude.

He should've realised that she had been heavily intoxicated. Should've realised that this, coupled with her competitive nature, would have led her to take on his challenge, no matter how outrageous it was.

Should've realised that this was one of those times she had needed to be protected - even if it was from herself.

On the way out, he grabs a coat hanging neatly on the stand. It's soft, fluffy and bright yellow - probably Lucy's. Lucy won't mind though. She has Natsu to keep her warm, anyway.

He quickly scans the roads outside, hoping to catch a glimpse of scarlet hair.

The streets are silent and deserted - an unsurprising fact, given that most people would be indoors waiting to usher in Christmas day with their significant others. Snow fall lightly onto the pavements, soft and gentle, and a small breeze stirs up next to him, carrying with it a swirl of pure white flakes - past the window sills; past the flower beds; over to the solitary bare tree sitting at the end of the road, and down to tug at the hairs of both a redhead and a bluenette walking closely side-by-side, their outlines faint but unmistakable in the far off distance -

He tugs on the jacket, paying no heed to the fact that it's a little too small for him. It's suddenly cold out.

Somewhere behind him, the town clock strikes twelve.

It's Christmas day.

—

"Gray-sama, why are you out here by yourself?"


	3. Chapter 3

**my take on gray's answer to juvia (at the rate canon is progressing now).**

* * *

She perches atop the bridge, resting both her arms on the cold, knobbly stone.

It's nearing dusk, and the sky is a kaleidoscope of reds, oranges and yellows. A gentle wind stirs up, rustling the leaves on the trees overhead. Pink petals shower over her, not unlike the confetti on Natsu's and Lucy's wedding day.

Her lips upturn slightly at the memory. The memory of Lucy's beautiful gown; of the clear chiming of the church bells; of the newlyweds' radiant smiles.

They're all growing up.

"Erza."

She looks around at the sound of her name, only to see her companion staring at the flowing river. He's got a hand in his pocket, and an easy grin gracing his handsome features. Not surprisingly, he's misplaced his shirt somewhere.

"Hm?" she asks.

"I've decided," he starts. There's a determined look in his eyes, one that complements the scars on his torso she hadn't noticed he bore until now.

His grin widens.

"I'm gonna give Juvia a chance."

There's a pause, and then she returns his smile, her own affectionate, soft and maybe, _just maybe_ , a little bit melancholic.

"I'm glad to hear that."

They're all growing up.


End file.
